Saints weigh a veteran add to a deep WR group as they chase a spark for an 0-2 start. Devaughn Vele and Ja'Lynn Polk were added to bolster depth, though Polk is sidelined. Olave, Shaheed, and Brandin Cooks headline the room with Mason Tipton in reserve while Tre Palmer and Bub Means deal with injuries. Odell Beckham Jr. says retirement isn’t coming and he wants to play a defined role on a good team, making a Saints signing a plausible, high-upside move for fantasy managers weighing upside against health.

No. 15 in New Orleans has a storied lineage, spanning Cuozzo to Durkee, Roby, Siemian, and now Mason Tipton. As the Saints open against Arizona under Kellen Moore, Tipton carries the latest chapter, wearing No. 15 after a rookie switch from 84. The piece threads the jersey’s history through kicking eras, special teams, and QB depth, framing Tipton’s potential role in a modern Saints offense.

It links franchise milestones—from Cuozzo’s 1967 win at the Eagles to Roby’s standout special-teams run and the long drought until Siemian and DiNucci—into a narrative about opportunity and roster mobility. Tipton’s emergence is presented as a bridge of eras, offering fantasy angles on WR depth, usage, and how Moore’s system could unlock a No. 15-influenced path against Arizona.

Mason Tipton is pushing for a bigger role with the Saints. After donning No. 84 as a rookie, he switched to No. 15 and has turned heads in camp and the preseason, including a 54-yard scoring grab against the Chargers and six catches for 100 yards vs. the Jaguars. With Olave and Shaheed ahead, his path to regular-season snaps hinges on depth and health, but the upside is real for a Bulletin-board sleeper in deep fantasy rosters.

Undrafted in 2024, Tipton carved out a rookie-year niche and now enters 2025 with momentum. He’s got the talent and the opportunity to become a trusted compliment in aNew Orleans aerial attack that may lean on volume if the ground game isn’t clicking early. Fantasy managers should monitor his continued involvement and any increase in targets as the season nears.

Denver and New Orleans finalized a midweek deal that sends Devaughn Vele to the Saints in exchange for a 2026 fourth-round pick and a 2027 seventh-round pick. Vele, a 27-year-old seventh-round pick from 2024, flashed enough rookie versatility to earn a path to more involvement, while the Broncos pick up valuable future capital. In New Orleans, Vele joins a crowded but intriguing WR room headlined by Chris Olave and Rashid Shaheed, with Brandin Cooks, Cedrick Wilson Jr. and Mason Tipton providing veteran depth and youthful upside behind Olave. The Saints’ passer game now has more tempo and competition for targets, which could create weekly volatility but also meaningful upside for a player who lands in a favorable offense.

Vele’s rookie numbers—41 grabs for 475 yards and four touchdowns—show a player with usable speed and route-running, capable of carving out a role in subpackages or as a gadget option. In New Orleans, Olave remains the clear alpha, Shaheed offers big-play speed, and the veteran Cooks plus Wilson Jr. round out the top mix, with Tipton awaiting his chance to contribute. Fantasy managers should watch how quickly Vele can adapt to the Saints’ playbook and how the Saints divvy up reps behind Olave; if Vele earns a defined role, he could emerge as a versatile depth option with occasional boom weeks in a potentially potent but crowded offense.